Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!ihnp4!poseidon!ech
From: ech@poseidon.UUCP (Edward C Horvath)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Apple Printer Drivers
Message-ID: <475@poseidon.UUCP>
Date: 29 Aug 88 16:00:37 GMT
References: <9942@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU>
Organization: AT&T Information Systems, Lincroft, NJ
Lines: 22

> What I'm seeing is a replay of the MS-DOS world.  Apple doesn't support
> other people's printers, the printer manufacturers have no wish to invest the
> time and effort figuring and refiguring how to support Apple computers, so
> developers (like Claris or Cricket) have to write support drivers for every
> known printer and ship them with their products.  So you buy MacDraw II and
> end up with (n) other disks to support other printers.

I think you missed the signature on the original complaint: a gentleman from
Calcomp, who make LOTS of classy output devices.  He recognizes that if he
is going to sell his peripherals to Mac owners, he is going to have to
supply Mac drivers for his peripherals.  He wants to provide and is trying
to provide that support, and he is not getting any assistance from the
printer people at Apple.

If it is also the case that Apple cannot sell Macintoshes to those who need
Calcomp equipment -- which is most of the CAD/CAM market Apple is trying
to penetrate -- this insensitivity is costing Apple sales.  Convince an
Apple salesmen or two of that, and you (may) get the support you need.
Trying to get help from anybody because you expect them to be "nice"
is just silly; Apple, despite the save-the-world posturing, is no exception.

=Ned Horvath=